Ward the Pirate
by catgirlutah
Summary: Sequel to The Token, set six years after the third movie. What's gotten into Captain Jack Sparrow's mind after leaving Elizabeth in Port Royal? What sort of adventures await him and the Pearl? JE
1. Chapter One: The Decision

Disclaimer: I don't have permission to be using these characters. They are owned by Disney. If I had as much money as Disney, I would buy the rights to these characters, but I don't have any money.

_Author's Note (12/10/06)_: This is a sequel. Thought I'd tell you that right away so there's no confusion here. It is set six years after the third movie (no, I don't know what's going to happen for sure, I've merely made a few assumptions). If you don't want to read the prequel, The Token, I guess I'll give a quick summary here. Will dies in an accident in the smithy, Elizabeth is devastated because she has two young children to raise, Jack shows up and offers her sympathy before leaving because the thought of being with someone for more than a few weeks is terrifying, he comes back and helps deliver his own daughter, and Elizabeth tells him to leave, so he does. That pretty much brings you up to speed.  
I love reviews, for I am subject to the abysmal ego of an author. I never think that my work is good enough and enjoy encouragement. I also like it when people point out my faults, even if I sometimes react offended. I'm trying to polish my writing methods, trying to discover my voice, and all that rot, which is why I write and post on fanfic in the first place. Therefore, it would be much appreciated if you left me a review. I hope you enjoy the first chapter. I promise that this one will be full of more action than The Token. "Ward the Pirate" is a song title that I shamelessly stole for the title to this story.

**Chapter One: The Decision**

She was far more forgiving than any mortal woman of flesh and bone and ideas. She didn't care what he'd been up to for the past few days, weeks, months, or even years. She didn't glare at him or give him a stony silence treatment. She was merely as she'd been before—stoic, beautiful, forgiving, and his. He didn't have to guess where he stood with her. He would always be the captain and she would always be his resplendent _Black Pearl_. She couldn't hold a grudge or let her feelings fester to the point that she acted conversely to how she truly felt. She didn't have logic, but she was content when he returned. A string of bad luck ended and the skies seemed clear.

The captain was up at the helm staring at the horizon. He'd been up at the helm a lot over the past few months. So much so, it seemed unnatural not to see him gazing at the clear waters as he accounted for minute changes in wind direction and the current. He was distant but brilliant and his crew was in awe of him. The new members were afraid to even talk to him, a great contrast to the way he seemed to know each man in his crew before. Now the preoccupied-with-thinking captain probably couldn't name them all.

His dark kohl-lined eyes were constantly on the brink of appearing vulnerable (or amused, depending on what thought it was running through his mind like an elusive nymph) but always remained stoically aloof emotionally from anything anywhere. His eyes had been different for some time now. They used to match his mood. Now they were the only giveaway that all was not well in the enigmatic man. Aside from them, he was who he had always been—Captain Jack Sparrow. He had a terribly annoying honest streak along with over-the-top hand gestures and a perpetual drunken swagger that made him seem inept. He never seemed to be in control of anything, merely reacting to one crisis as another one erupted. In spite of it all, he was the best pirate in the Caribbean. He'd lost the fewest sailors in his numerous exploits over the past six years and was talked about all over the world. His name was more recognizable than that of the current king of England. Everyone knew his various exploits and all recounted them in different ways. Even he was amazed at what he'd apparently done.

The wind was whipping various beads and metal objects tied into his hair into the back of his head, tangling with free strands of dark hairs that were planning to commit suicide. His hair hadn't been combed in years, as was the custom among buccaneers, and carried mementos and reminders of his past. It was better to store memories on the outside of his head than in the inside of it because it freed up space for him to solve the seemingly unsolvable. He'd been wearing it all for so long that he'd become accustomed to the slight twinges of pain accompanying minute movements of his neck or changes in the direction of the wind. It only took him a week or two to grow accustomed to new trinkets he added from time to time.

He had a mostly thoughtful look in his eyes as he glanced down towards the compass standing on the bridge. His right hand twitched as he stared at the needle, moving towards the compass hanging from one of his belts on his left side. He wanted to look into it, to see where the needle would point and thus show what he wanted most, but he already knew the answer. A slightly pained look flitted across his face before his hand rested on the helm again and he made very small changes to their overall course based on what the large compass had told him. Jack was an expert navigator and a very decent helmsman, which is why the aging Cotton and his parrot hadn't complained about Jack taking their places as helmsman. Cotton was using the extra time to brush up on his French literature.

"I'm here to relieve you, Cap'n," Joshamee Gibbs' voice startled the pirate captain.

He turned slightly to look at his aging and very loyal first mate. "I don' remember asking t' be relieved."

"Tha's why I'm here, Cap'n." Gibbs smiled slightly, emphasizing the wrinkles on his cheeks framed so perfectly by his grey muttonchops. "Ye've been standing here hardly movin' for the past twelve hours."

Jack's eyes widened as he contemplated whether that was true or not. The sun was nearly setting and he'd been here since sunrise. "I'd say closer t' eleven an' a half." He smirked very slightly before looking away from Gibbs. "I'm fine."

"Ye haven't had anythin' t' eat or drink, neither." Gibbs sounded worried.

"Once again, I'm fine," Jack said dismissively.

"Which is why ye noticed Smoke din' swab the decks t'day or even come up on deck, right?"

Jack looked at Gibbs. "'E sick?"

"Aye."

"Then it don' matter. I'm fine."

Gibbs sighed. "I'm gettin' too old for this, Jack. Yer not fine. Fine was how ye were before ye got back from prison. Ye hardly eat anymore an' aren't getting better. Wha's botherin' ye?"

Jack stared at his first mate and oldest friend for a very long time, as though testing to see how long Gibbs could handle the silence. After what felt like an eternity, he said, "She's getting' married tomorrow."

Gibbs adopted a puzzled expression after making a noise that sounded vaguely as though he understood. "Who?"

"Who else?" Jack sighed softly, glancing away.

"Oh." Gibbs sighed as well. "To who?"

"The cat."

"Ah." Gibbs frowned. "I hate tha' man," he grumbled under his breath. "'E got me kicked out o' the Navy."

"Which turned out t' be a very fortunate thing, din' it?" Jack smiled slightly. "Either way…the cat?"

"Does it bother ye?"

Jack rolled his eyes as he looked back at Gibbs.

"Then why are we still headed t' Tortuga? We're close enough—"

"She _wanted_ to marry _him_." Jack's voice was oddly quiet and strained.

Gibbs was silent for a moment. "Jack, how old are ye?"

The captain quirked his eyebrow. It disappeared underneath his red bandana. "Forty-five." He would not have answered that question if almost anyone else had asked it. It was a sore spot for him; he did not like being so old. It was terribly difficult to put a specific age on him and Gibbs seemed slightly surprised until he did a little math inside his head.

"I'm fifty-three, Jack. I've regretted the day I lef' the woman I loved for thirty-two years. I'm getting' old and I'm just realizing that I'm mostly miserable. Go for her."

"But—"

"She ain't thinking straight. Show her tha'. It don' matter that ye spent time pining for her an' she sent you away. So what? Yer Captain _Jack Sparrow_. Women fall on ye as though ye were a mattress. Don' that mean anything anymore?"

Jack slowly shook his head. "Why would it? She doesn' love me."

"And you jus' _let_ her go. The old Jack I knew wouldn' do that."

"It would never work out between us. I've told her tha' before."

"Aye, well it doesn't seem to be working out wivout her. You're losing your touch, Jack, because ye stand here all ruddy day thinkin' about the last conversation ye two had or something. Go for her. We won' think any less of ye if you do."

Jack stared at Gibbs for a long while as the sun slowly disappeared over the edge of the world. It was what he wanted to do desperately. So, he pulled out his personal compass and then changed the heading of the _Pearl_. He just had to see her once more before she married the cat, Admiral James Norrington.


	2. Chapter Two: The Visit

Disclaimer: I do not have permission to use most of these characters.

_Author's Note (12/11/06)_: It's my three year anniversary! I've been posting stories about Jack Sparrow for three years on fanfiction. Exciting, no? I realize that this chapter isn't the most exciting in the world…and neither was the last one, but please trust me. I also realize that Jack seems…off kilter. Bear with me. I've got interesting plans for this one. Thank you for the reviews, though! They brought a smile to my face with the first chapter.

**Chapter Two: The Visit**

He couldn't help but feel stupid as he walked through the streets of Port Royal an hour before sunrise. This was pointless. He'd replayed that last discussion they'd had in his mind over and over again and couldn't help but see she really did not want him around. He had hurt her terribly when he'd left the first time and he recognized it. So terribly that she wanted nothing to do with him. He'd sent a letter or two of apology and had not heard anything from her end. Of course, the mail system wasn't very reliable, so it was probable she had no idea he'd even sent his letters…Nevertheless, he was a trifle wary about stepping into the front door of her house. It looked almost like how he'd left it; terribly boring and house-like.

Hand shaking slightly, the pirate captain slowly opened the front door and stepped in. He wasn't the best at sneaking around houses, for he perpetually swaggered, but he had adjusted to the fact that he couldn't walk in a straight line years ago and had learned to account for the fact while in situations worthy of sneaking about. The house smelled almost exactly as it had before. He could smell a hint of scorched meat in the air. It was likely that she'd been distracted while cooking by one of the three small children in her care.

He stood in front of the door for a long while, wondering why it was he was feeling so terrified of confronting her. It didn't make any sense. The worst thing she could do was cleave his heart in two again. He doubted she had any firearms nearby with which to shoot him. And she probably wouldn't be able to hurt him very much. But she represented all sorts of feelings he'd been trying to bottleneck for over a year now and if she didn't react in a favorable way, he would feel like an idiot. Jack wasn't fond of feeling like an idiot; he liked to maintain a façade of always knowing what he was doing when he really had no idea what the best course of action was. He had to. He was a captain. If he didn't exude confidence in all of his endeavors, his crew wouldn't trust him to the point of unwavering loyalty. If he questioned himself, they would question him. As a result, he'd made himself miserable. Bottling everything never did work.

Breathing in deeply, to steady himself, he put on his character so that he would have a crutch to rely on, in case things went sour. Then he slowly climbed the stairs and stopped in her bedroom. He was acting ridiculously and he knew it. There was nothing to be wary of. Either she would reject him again and he would know for certain she'd lost all feelings of tenderness for him or she would join him. There is never middle ground in a relationship. It will either blossom or wither; it can never be static.

She was lying on the mattress, looking peaceful as her eyes moved underneath her eyelids and she dreamed. A soft shaft of moonlight floated over her left hand as the right clutched onto her blanket. She seemed perfectly at peace with the world. Jack almost turned around, suddenly afraid to break the spell to try and rescue the princess. He wasn't thinking straight. A governor's daughter would never actually develop feelings for a notorious pirate. She was just awestruck by his ability to do whatever he wanted when he wanted. He was foolish for having come. He was also looking for any excuse to be a coward. She didn't want him as a complication, not when she was about to marry the Admiral and get her mediocre-ever-after she yearned for to protect her children.

Sighing, he stared at her for a long moment, internally debating if he actually intended to carry out everything he'd come here to do. The look on Gibbs face would be one of disappointment if he returned alone or in a worse mood than when he'd left and then he'd be badgered into discussing feelings. Jack did not like admitting to anyone, even himself, that he had such a human thing. Feelings made a man stupid. Feelings faded. Feelings got in the way of practically all important decisions.

However, he couldn't afford to come all this way and not say anything. He would regret his actions forever. So, the pirate captain slowly kneeled next to the sleeping woman and touched her soft cheek. She was far more beautiful than he remembered and her skin seemed to make his finger tingle. "Elizabeth," he whispered gently. "Wake up."

She moved her foot slightly as her eyes tried to open. They gave up after a moment or two and she was fast asleep once more. No doubt her dreams had changed, for there was an amused expression on her face as her breathing became even once again.

Sighing, Jack gently shook her shoulder. He needed to get this resolved. He couldn't give up. Not on her. Not yet. He hadn't really tried before. He knew that if he had tried, he would feel differently now. If he had tried and she had rejected him he could move on. But he'd been a coward. Watching her go through so much pain because of something he did and hearing her belittle him had shaken him more than he had realized. He'd given up and now he wanted to try again. "Elizabeth," he said again, his voice stronger. "Wake up."

Her foot twitched again as she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, clearly puzzled by the fuzzy image of a curiously decorated man hovering over her. "What?" she asked groggily, trying to get rid of the dry taste in her mouth by licking her lips.

"I need t' talk to you, Elizabeth."

"Huh?" Perhaps she thought she was still in a dream, for her eyes closed again.

Jack paused for a very long time. "I love you." They were the three hardest words a man could say and genuinely mean, but it was very clear that Jack meant what he'd said.

She turned over, grabbing her pillow and pulling her blanket up. "That's nice, Jack," she mumbled before falling asleep.

"Bad timing on my part," Jack remarked sarcastically as he stood up. "Guess tha' means I need to fall back on my other plan." He couldn't just watch her sign herself over to Norrington. She deserved something other than inaction. He walked down the stairs and out the door.

* * *

_rae_: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the dimension I've added to Jack's character and hope to hear from you again.  
_savvylicious_: I hadn't heard that. Thanks for pointing it out. I'd fix it...but that would involve a reworking of all of 'Ello Beastie...that's a lot of work. I guess I'll just have to take literary license. I always appreciate reviewers who know this universe, 'specially when they show me up. Hope to hear from you again!  
_Taemore_: I agree, it does need new blood. Rest assured, there is new blood in store...but not for a few more chapters. This one is not going to be set in Port Royal. I think a change in venue will help infuse new life... If not, please point it out to me. Just bear with me for a few more chapters. Thank you for your honesty! 


	3. Chapter Three: The Plan

Disclaimer: I don't have permission to use these characters, yadda yadda yadda…

_Author's note (12/30/06_): I do apologize about the long wait. I just…I dunno. My life has been rather hectic and I've doubted my desire to write and…well, I suppose this isn't meant to be a confessional. I hope you enjoy this. Look for my next chapter for 'Ello Beastie soon. I'd say it was writer's block, but apathy is a better descriptive word. As always, I like reviews.

**Chapter Three: The Plan**

Gibbs was waiting near the porch, keeping watch. It seemed unlikely that anybody would be out and about at this time of night. It hardly seemed safe, even if you disregarded the rumors of a man-wolf running around killing children and eating them. People were generally of a superstitious mindset. Gibbs was no different. The moon was nearly full and he was afraid it would make everything turn out wrong. He seemed startled when he noticed Jack coming out of the house so soon. "How'd it go?"

"She's dead asleep." Jack sighed softly, glancing towards the ring on his index finger. The green gem inside glowed under the bright moonlight. It was fortunate the weather was so good. Made his plans easier to carry out.

"Perfect. Must've stayed up late thinking if she really wan'ed t' do what she thinks she's about t' do." Gibbs smiled. "Yer doin' the right thing, Jack. No sense in makin' yerself miserable an' her miserable. Women like those knights in shining armor."

"Or pirates. They like pirates. Have this grand idea tha' they can change us." Jack chuckled softly. "Makes it handy, I suppose, fer them t' have an excuse when they realize they can't." He glanced towards the large moon for a moment, reminded of the first time he'd been in Port Royal since it turned all strict due to Norrington and Governor Swann's presences. Things certainly could change fast. "Ready?"

"Of course." The older man rubbed his hands together and then stepped inside the house. Jack followed. They went up the stairs, past Elizabeth's room and into the boys'. William and John were fast asleep, softly snoring. It was amazing how much they'd changed since Jack last saw them. William was quite taller and John looked like a miniature person as opposed to a toddler. The pirate captain knelt next to the mattress on the floor and gently shook William's shoulder.

William awoke with a start, his brown eyes widening as he noticed who it was waking him. "Captain Sparrow?"

"Aye." Jack smiled. "Would ye like t' come on an adventure wiv me, William?"

"Would I?" The boy grinned, sitting up and shaking John violently. "John, wake up! It's time to get up."

John groaned. "I tired," he complained.

"We're going to have a real pirate adventure. Get up. Jack Sparrow's here."

John's eyes quickly opened and he looked at the pirate with amazement. "Hello," he finally said, before sitting up.

"'Ello." It was amazing how quickly toddlers learned how to speak. Jack could now understand John. "Hurry an' get dressed an' pack a few clothes. Bu' be quiet. I don' want to wake up yer mum jus' yet."

Both boys nodded and eagerly jumped out of bed. William grabbed their clothes as John grabbed a bag and they both tried to pack and dress at the same moment. Predictably, they ended up in a heap on the floor.

Jack chuckled softly as he grabbed a few things of the baby's and stuffed them into a bag. He also picked up a few dresses, packed them into a bag, and slung them over his back. "Master Gibbs, can ye carry my daughter?"

His first mate blanched enough that it was visible in the darkness. "But, Captain—"

"Would ye rather carry Elizabeth?"

Gibbs shook his head, tentatively walking towards the cradle. He stared at the baby for a long while before he reached in and picked her up, carrying her as though she would bite him. "Can we go?"

Jack nodded, going into the other room. He knelt next to her bed and then easily picked her up.

Her eyes shot open when she realized she was in somebody's arms. "What the hell—"

"Watch yer language, luv. Wouldn't want to set a bad example for the knits." He smirked down at her.

She started flailing. "Put me down, Jack Sparrow!" she commanded.

Jack ignored her. "Come along, boys. We don' have much time t' get out of here unnoticed."

"Are we really going to your ship?" queried William as he grabbed a satchel. John sat down at the top of the staircase and then slid down the stairs.

"Aye." He motioned towards the stairs with his head. "Go on."

William ran down as Elizabeth tried to hit Jack. "What are you doing? Don't you know I'm getting married today?"

"Tha's why I'm here." Jack looked down at her, jealousy clearly visible in his eyes. "Mister Gibbs, shall we?"

"Aye." Gibbs seemed to be slightly more comfortable carrying the baby as he trudged down the stairs with a large bag draped on his shoulder. Once he was safely down the stairs, Jack started down as well.

"Jack, put me down!" Elizabeth yelled. "I don't want to go anywhere."

"That is why this is considered kidnapping." He grinned again.

"I'm going to scream," she warned, "the moment you step out of my front door." Her tone of voice was cold. The look in her eyes was almost threatening enough that Jack wanted to put her down. He'd come this far, though, so there was no point in going back.

"No ye aren't. Now be quiet." He tilted his head downward and kissed her passionately. It had been far too long since he'd last been this close to her. Cora was nearly seven months old. He had a hard time even wanting to breathe because of the taste of her, but eventually he did pull back. "I've heard enough complainin' from ye. Jus' give me a week."

She had a very vulnerable look in her eyes and then slowly nodded. "Fine. A week." Her lips pursed into thin lines, which was rather talented of them. Generally they were quite full. Jack got the impression she was trying not to think about the kiss. No doubt it was preferable to whatever her fiancé offered. Norrington seemed to be a bit of a slimy fish. "That's it, though. He'll search for me."

"Undoubtedly." He chuckled. "Tha's what makes this so blasted fun." He winked and carried her out of the door. William pulled it shut. "Alright, then, men, an' women, whatever yer gender may be…we've got t' be quiet. I wouldn' want the Admiral to discover his guest of honor is missing for his mos' important ceremony yet." He looked specifically at John. "Can ye stay quiet, mate?"

John nodded proudly, only dimly aware of what was going on. "I can."

"Good." He grinned and then looked at the baby in Gibbs' arms. "I'll jus' have to assume she can as well. Le's head out."

"Can I at least walk, Jack?" Elizabeth questioned. "I'm not entirely sure I trust Gibbs with her."

"No." He glanced at his first mate. "The man will do a fine job. Ne'er you worry, Missus Turner. The point of you being kidnapped is so tha' you have an excuse, should our week turn out terrible. Pin it on me. It'll add t' me reputation."

"And it will certainly make James appreciate you that much more," she remarked sarcastically. "It's a brilliant plan to get yourself hung."

"Aye, I know. I'm quite proud of it, actually." Jack smirked at her, amused to see how upset she got at him refusing to get upset by her. "The more enraged a man gets, the less clearly he thinks. Ultimately, this is a brillian' move on my part. Not only do I get t' spend a week in yer fine company, but I get to have my arch-enemy back again. 'E gave up on me trail, really, after the first three years. Maybe the kind way I treated him on me ship made him see the light."

"Or _maybe_ you dropped off the face of the world after the first three years and he had no idea where to find you. No one knew anything about where you were. Not even your floosies in Tortuga."

He looked amused. "Did ye question them?" She was silent, so he continued, "Regardless of their knowledge, _I_ knew where I was all along. Tha's all that matters."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not going to change my mind, Jack. We were over before we began. You saw to that."

"Is that a challenge?" He smirked. "I love challenges. All the more reason for this." They reached the part of the beach where the longboat was hidden. Marty and Cotton were waiting in the trees. They got the boat into the water and then helped the boys and Gibbs aboard. Jack then carried Elizabeth in and tightly held her as they shoved off. Marty started rowing towards the _Pearl_ with Cotton's assistance. The Turner household had disappeared without a trace.

* * *

meee_eeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!... _: Nice pen name. Very creative an' original. Thanks for the review; sorry for the wait.  
_savvylicious_: I'm glad you saw that gag as funny...sometimes I wonder if anything I put in genuinely illicits laughter. Thanks for the review. I am terribly sorry for the long wait.  
_ditte3_: I'm glad you like it so far...I'm just sorry it took me so long to update. 


	4. Chapter Four: The Squabble

Disclaimer: I do not have permission to be putting this up here using these characters.

_Author's Note (1/04/07)_: Welcome to the year 2007! I just started my classes today. I'm really tired. And having a very hard time typing. But I thought I'd put up a chapter for all y'all loyal reviewers. Yep. I don't like this chapter. But oh well. So…here you go.

**Chapter Four: The Squabble**

"Do you ever intend on telling me why you took me and my children captive?" Elizabeth pressed after everyone was safely on board the main deck of the _Black Pearl_. Jack could almost feel his ship shudder at the sound of another female, probably correctly guessing that her captain's attention would be split in two. Elizabeth had the baby in her arms because she had started to cry halfway on their trip.

"When the time is right, aye." Jack smirked slightly, glancing toward the boys. Their eyes were as wide as a whale's as they tried to absorb all the new sights and smells that accompanied a ship full of pirates. He set the bag down that he'd been carrying. "The time obviously isn' right. Le's get you situated."

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "Where do you intend to keep us?"

"Well, luv, I was planning on you bunking wiv me. The boys can take an empty cabin an' the baby can sleep…" He trailed off in thought for a moment. As he was a captain on a pirate ship, he didn't often carry cradles around with him. There was no where specifically the baby could be placed.

Elizabeth seemed to guess what he was thinking about as she whirled about. "Come along, boys. We're going back home."

John's eyes welled up with tears. "Mama, we want to stay," William protested. He had a stubborn look in his brown eyes as he kept himself from crying. "I don't want to live with the Admiral."

"You told me you liked him," Elizabeth said with a frown. "Besides, this is utter nonsense. Captain Sparrow has no right to keep us aboard." She'd apparently forgotten about the kiss and her agreement with the pirate. Livid, she turned and looked at Jack. "I want to go back. I've a wedding dress to squeeze into again in the next few hours. This is ridiculous."

"Ye've been kidnapped, Elizabeth. You can't go back. We can put the baby in a chest or somethin'." Jack motioned for Gibbs to take the boys below deck. He instantly obliged, not particularly keen on seeing Elizabeth likely lash out at Jack.

"Babies do not belong in chests, _Captain_ Sparrow." Her voice was dangerously low as she looked around and stepped towards the railing. "Take me back."

"Sorry, dearie, bu' that isn't an option." He pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at Elizabeth's head, cocking it to get her attention. "I'm in no mood for games."

"So you intend to merely rape me?" The fire of hatred burned behind her eyes and Jack wondered if, perhaps, he'd put this off too long. Would he be able to melt her again or had she created an impenetrable barrier against him since Will's death a year and three months ago?

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled in a very sarcastic and lecherous manner. "Step away from the railing, you gave me a week."

"An hour would be long enough," she murmured darkly, slowly turning and looking at him. "I refuse to have _my_ daughter sleep in a chest. If you don't want me to castrate you in your sleep, you'll go find something more appropriate for her to sleep in."

Jack's eyes narrowed at the very clear ultimatum. How could she have the audacity to order him about? He'd thought for sure that she'd be grateful for a chance to escape from Norrington. This scene wasn't playing out how he'd hoped it would.

"I mean it, Jack." She stared at the barrel of the pistol without a hint of fear in her light brown eyes.

He pulled a face, un-cocked the pistol and placed it into its normal resting place between his belts and sash and his chest. "Very well. Anything else ye need in town 'fore I go?"

A slight look of surprise registered on her face, as though she hadn't expected he'd back down. "Well…" She thought for a moment. "Did you pack a change of clothes for me?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Why would I do somethin' like tha', dearie? Whose t' say tha' I want you in any clothes?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not a strumpet, Jack Sparrow. If you're going to treat me as such…" Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think of something to threaten him with. He had the upper hand, as he owned the ship and she was traveling with small children. "I'll invoke the right of parley!" It was clear she was grasping at straws.

"You have nothin' I want that I couldn't just take," he pointed out soberly. "Like it or not, Missus Turner, you're going to be aboard the _Pearl_ for a week or more."

She glared at him, clutching the baby tightly to her breast. Fear was in her eyes as Jack approached her, calmly sauntering. "Why are you doing this?" It seemed any memory of what they'd had before was gone, as was the memory of the kiss he'd used to quell her protests before.

"As I said before, luv, all in good time." He smirked slightly. "I'm sorry tha' the accommodations aren't wha' ye'd expect…but this was rather spur of the moment, dearie."

"You're despicable."

"The look in your eyes says you feel differently."

Her eyes widened and Jack felt as though he could see into her very soul. "I hate you." She meant what she said, for the most part, and he could tell. It stung.

"Yes, well, I deserve it." He looked melancholy for a brief moment before shrugging it aside with an elaborate hand gesture. "Is there anything else you need me t' get from town?"

She blinked. "Are you seriously going back?"

He chuckled at the confused expression on her face. "Yes. A chest is no place for a baby, as ye said. Had I been thinking…." He trailed off, only halfway implying that he'd been stupid in kidnapping her like this.

Unfortunately, she picked up on the implication. "That sounds remarkably stupid of you, Jack."

"I know." He smirked. "I've done a lot of stupid things recently. It'd be hypocritical of me t' change colors right now."

She tilted her head slightly to one side. "Oh." It was clear she was trying to figure out what he implied by that.

"If there's nothin' else you're needin', I'll be going back to town."

"If you're going to that much trouble, why not just take us back?"

"Elizabeth, luv, din' you give me a week?"

She frowned slightly, wishing she could answer negatively. Being aboard this pirate ship was a very bad thing. She'd put Jack behind her. "Yes."

"Then I'm going to take it. You can't go back, not until my time is up." The thought of her being Norrington's wife made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He bowed slightly. "I'll be back in a bit. Try an' make yourself comfortable in me cabin."

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_MeMyselfandu:_ Thank you for the review an' the evil laughter. I like evil laughter. I think I should become an villain. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
_savvylicious_: It will take a lot to win Elizabeth over...probably. I'm not really at liberty to disclose that information at the moment. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I agree with you. If Johnny and Kiera were to have a child together, it would be very close to perfect. Thank you for the review. I enjoyed reading yours a lot.  
_ditte3_: Here you go.  
_howlongmustIwait_: There you are! I was afraid I'd lost you forever because of the end of The Token. Glad to see that you still exist (and, more importantly, that you're still reading my work). Never fear...I plan a happier ending for this one. At least, at the moment I do. Probably won't change my mind... Anyway, thank you for the review. Getting that really did brighten my day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If not...that's okay.


	5. Chapter Five: The Cradle

Disclaimer: I shouldn't be using these characters. But I am. Shame on me.

_Author's Note (1/8/07)_: I'm supposed to be brainstorming ideas for an essay right now, but I thought this would be more fun to do. Brainstorming isn't as exciting as it used to be, now that there's some sort of drought going on in my head. Not that it matters. I really shouldn't write these notes when I'm tired. Though, I find it amusing to go back to my earlier stories to read what I had to say other mornings while I was tired in the past…But I'm just odd. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm quite pleased by the warm reception…and I would put up chapters faster, but I'm having a harder time writing this one than I had with The Token. I could blame it on writer's block, but I think most of it lies somewhere between the keyboard and the chair I'm currently sitting on. I'd better be quick about this so that I can update _before_ I have to go to class…

**Chapter Five: The Cradle**

The sun was just starting to rise as Jack reached the Turner household again. He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing this, truth be told, because Elizabeth really had no option _but_ listen to him. He had hoped that she would react slightly more favorable to her rescue of him, but had never exactly thanked him for the other times he'd saved her life, so this wasn't completely unexpected. He would just come and get the cradle and then would head back. He already had a plan on how to win her back over to his side. He just couldn't see Norrington happy. The miserable worm of a man had done too many things to the pirate captain for him to let Norrington win. It was an issue of pride, for Jack didn't really have any plans of marrying the woman aboard his ship.

He slipped inside the front door and then went up the stairs. The cradle didn't look too terribly heavy, but it would certainly be bulky for him to get down the stairs and to the shoreline where he'd stowed his longboat without getting noticed. The problem was that many people would shortly be waking up to go about their business. "She'd better appreciate this," he muttered darkly as he picked up the cradle. He didn't remember it being as heavy the last time he carried it. How much did baby blankets weigh, anyway?

He was to the final step leading down from the upstairs when someone knocked on the front door. He stopped moving immediately, as though the visitor could see movement through doors, and prayed that the man would just leave. He was almost positive it was Norrington because he doubted that Elizabeth would have any other visitors so early in the morning. She didn't seem to be the kind of woman that would attract early morning visitors. Likely as not, since she was marrying the admiral, her neighbors no longer knew how to talk to her and avoided her. They were used to her being the wife of a blacksmith and an equal after years of seeing her married to Will. Now she was going back to being a haughty aristocrat, so there was no sense in trying to associate with her anymore.

Norrington's distinctive dulcet tones confirmed Jack's worst fear. "Elizabeth, I know it's generally bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, but I couldn't sleep at the thought of our union today." He waited for a few more moments and then knocked again. Though it was just his hand pounding on wood, Jack couldn't help but think the knocks sounded desperate. If, in fact, Norrington were in love with Elizabeth and not just trying to win a trophy wife, he apparently had it bad. "Are you awake, Elizabeth?"

Jack rolled his eyes. Trust the Admiral to assume that Elizabeth woke up at unholy hours in the morning. Why those two thought they'd make a good couple was beyond him. At least Elizabeth had been near the same age as Will and they'd been able to grow accustomed to each other…by now, Norrington was too set in his bachelor ways to accommodate a wife properly. Jack doubted the admiral had any idea about the sort of things women experienced. The thought of Norrington dealing with Elizabeth's first menstrual period after their marriage was hilarious. Norrington was too used to people agreeing to him to handle a woman full of hormones.

"Elizabeth?" the admiral questioned again, knocking once more. Jack was tempted to answer in a falsetto, but was relatively certain that deception wouldn't work for more than five seconds. Besides, maybe if he were silent Norrington would just leave.

"I know you're awake by this time every morning," the Admiral said, his voice annoyed and low. "Are you avoiding me?" He paused for a moment. "Are you ill?" His voice was genuinely worried. "Can I come in and prepare you some sort of soup?"

Jack stuck his tongue out in a gesture of disgust. Norrington didn't know how to woo a woman. It was no wonder he'd yet to get married. If Jack wasn't so worried about trying the hempen jig, he'd yell some sort of advice to the man. This was painful to listen to.

A sudden idea sparked his thought process, amusing the captain enough to set the crib down and find a piece of paper. He couldn't just disappear without a trace. He had to leave a small clue so that Norrington would know he was going to lose Elizabeth to a rum-soaked pirate he'd once taken orders from. He found a quill as Norrington waited in silence for an answer and hastily scribbled, "A Sparrow in the hand can make a happy home." Norrington would figure it out, undoubtedly, but Jack would be long gone before he even found it. He put the note on top a desk in plain sight, which is generally the best hiding place for anything.

"Are you still upset about the color choice? We've been over this, Elizabeth. You didn't make up your mind and the decorator needed to know what scheme to use, so I chose what I thought would be acceptable." He sighed and put his hands against the door. "I'm sorry. You do realize that in a few hours, none of this will matter, right? We'll be married."

Jack shook his head as he lifted the crib up and started towards the back door. As amusing as this was, he had a feeling that the admiral would shortly give up talking to the door. All he could hope was that the man would assume Elizabeth had gone for an early morning walk to soothe the baby. If not…his head start on the admiral wouldn't be all that great. Of course, he was reasonably certain no one had spotted himself or Mister Gibbs escorting the Turner family to the longboat. Maybe it wouldn't matter. As far as Port Royal knew, he hadn't been back since his near-hanging years previously. By the time the admiral thought of Jack, he'd be safely out of reach somewhere. The only problem was that Jack had no idea where to take Elizabeth and her children. The thought of anything romantic with an infant on board…well, it was doubtful that he could win her back. At least he'd be trying.

"Elizabeth, are you hurt?" Jack heard the admiral call out as he slipped through the back door and sidled around to the neighbor's yard. Fortunately, he knew his way around the neighbors' yards. His escapades shortly after Will Turner's funeral to feed Elizabeth in a severely depressive state saw to that. He knew the chicken coop to his left quite well and the basic floor plan of her neighbor's home as well. If Norrington decided to come around back, Jack would have plenty of places to hide.

Fortunately, it sounded as though the admiral was keeping his distance. Jack carried the cradle through the backyard of the house directly next to Elizabeth's. It wasn't a very large yard, so he was soon on the street heading towards town square. Will hadn't been able to purchase a home near the elite of Port Royal, but they were still certainly in the better section of town. The closer one got to the docks, the smaller the houses were and the poorer the inhabitants. That meant that Barbossa had mostly injured the poor in his attack of Port Royal. It was a measure of protection for the wealthy. Plus, with refuse being thrown out of windows, it meant that the lower sections of Port Royal smelled worse than the upper quarters.

He slinked through an alleyway between two stores and soon reached the shoreline. Jack put the cradle inside the long boat and then pushed it out to sea, hopping inside it before it drifted away without him. Once on the water, he started his fight with the surf and soon persevered, reaching the _Pearl_ without any unfortunate incidents. They would be able to leave without any complications, which was really a first for him and his crew.

* * *

_savvylicious_: I liked that line too. I was quite pleased to see you called it "beautiful". Made me all warm and fuzzy like a blanket. And...you're exactly right. Elizabeth isn't very keen on admitting that her daughter is his daughter too or that maybe Jack wasn't so bad. She's trying to convince herself not to be stupid again or something. I like your nickname for Norrington. Here's part of your answer. Thank you for the review!  
_Memyselfandu_: Glad to hear that and hope you liked this one. The next chapter has more tension. I like it better. Thanks for the review.  
_icyfingers13_: Interesting pseudonym. Reminds me of what my fingers will be like after I step outside in a few minutes... Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed The Token and that you bothered to make your way over here to read this. And that left a review. I like reviews. I think of myself somewhat as a dog that's being housebroken into writing...or something. I don't know, I'm still busy trying to remember my dream from last night. Anyway, thank you kindly for the review! Hope I don't disappoint you in the future.  
_Maria_: Oooh! A double-whammy review! Sweet. Yes, it's fine for you to review several of my things in one review...makes for an interesting read, generally, an' I like interesting reads. I'm glad to hear you think I'm keeping them both in character (one of my biggest fears is that I'm not). Yes, we will see him with the baby and with both boys. Brief glimpses, at least. Thank you for the glowing review of both stories thus far!  
_howlongmustIwait_: Of course I missed reading your reviews! They were one of the highlights of my day. (Yes, I realize I have a rather bleak and boring existence. At least my fish like me.) And I do plan to make it up to you. Thus far. Truth be told, I don't have the ending to this one already planned like I did before. And I'm stuck on a chapter not too far after this one in which the children are being persuasive but not. I should re-read the book that is the inspiration for this idea...but I left it at home. In case you were wondering, said book would be _The Courtship of Princess Leia_. Sadly, I am a Star Wars nerd (among other things). Anywho...I forgot where I was going with that, so I'll dispense with the pleasantries. Thank you for the review, thank you for not tarring and feathering me for the end of The Token, and thank you for taking the time to read my crazy little fics. 


	6. Chapter Six: The Cabin

Disclaimer: I do not have permission to be writing this. Or much of anything I write.

_Author's note (4/21/07)_: Yes, I realize it's been forever since I last updated. I forgot I actually had this chapter finished. As well as the next one, actually. So…if you really do want me to continue writing, you'll leave me a lovely review. I'm still trying to determine if I want to write this one further or not. Anything you say in favor of a continuation will help sway me more that way. I just need a good push in the right direction. I'm sorry for the long delay. And, as most of you left reviews forever ago, I'm sorry that I decided to not respond to reviews. I just didn't see the point. And I'm kinda tired and grumpy right now. So…yeah. Enjoy.

**Chapter Six: The Cabin**

Jack placed the cradle down on deck as Elizabeth watched him with narrowed eyes, clearly wary of his intentions. "Where are my clothes, Jack?" she snapped. Apparently while he'd been in Port Royal, she'd worked up her anger again.

"Your concern for my well-being is quite touching, luv," he remarked, bushing at some of the sweat on his face. It was no easy feat getting a cradle on board a ship without the assistance of a derrick. "Yes, it was difficult. But I did it all for you. Now the baby has somewhere to sleep."

"Where are my clothes?"

He sighed, slightly narrowing his eyes as he turned to look directly at her. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure. I hope there was nothing else that I forgot, because we're setting sail for another island right now." He nodded to Gibbs, who immediately got the crew to get to work and lower the sails rather than watch the scene unfolding. It wasn't safe.

"Jack, where are _my_ clothes?" She sounded very angry now. Her grip on the baby was tight and the knuckles on one of her hands seemed to be turning white. She seemed like a wholly different woman and Jack was somewhat tempted to try and see if she was someone wearing an Elizabeth mask.

"You're wearing them, aren't you?" He smirked at her anger, determined to not let it bother him. "I could help you out of them so you can see them a bi' better if you don' believe me, ye know."

She glared at him and then approached him, getting very close to his face. "Where are my clothes?" she asked again, her voice terribly low. Jack had seen the look in her eyes before in other men before they tried to kill him. It was the look that all men dreaded seeing in the eyes of their loved ones. It meant that if they didn't answer, they were doomed to an eternity of the silent treatment.

The time for games had passed, at least for now. "In the bag," he replied in near humility as he pointed towards the bag he'd stuffed full of a few of her dresses.

She glared at him for a moment longer before she turned and grabbed the bag. "I want that cradle in my cabin."

Jack suddenly felt as though he could breathe again. "Your cabin, huh?" He picked up the cradle. "I'm afraid tha' there are no other cabins, Elizabeth."

She rolled her eyes and said plainly, "By my cabin, I mean, in fact, your cabin."

Jack smirked triumphantly. "So you want t' share a bed wiv me again, eh?"

She merely smiled, an ambiguous look in her eyes. Jack took it as a good sign. Perhaps his efforts to get the cradle had swung the vote in his favor.

Jack carried the cradle into his cabin and set it down in the safest place possible away from items that could possibly hurt the baby near his table. Once it was safely down, she put the baby down and looked around the room, her eyes widening. It was a lot cleaner than she would have expected a pirate's cabin to be. Jack had tasteful decorations and had taken out nearly everything that Barbossa had put in. It looked a lot more friendly and smelled strongly of the captain. Jack's smell couldn't easily be identified: it was a mixture of the spray of the sea, rum, and something else that just defied description. Of course, once he opened his mouth, it was all overpowered by the stench of his bad breath. Being a pirate, he didn't practice oral hygiene.

Elizabeth turned to look at Jack, wonderment in her eyes until she spotted him again. He'd broken so many of her dreams…and he'd never come back. After she sent him away, she'd been looking for him to come back, but he'd abandoned her. And now he was back when she didn't need or want him again. She put the baby in the cradle once Jack set it down. "Jack…why am I here?"

"Now isn't the time, luv, for me t' answer that." He smiled before looking at their daughter. "What did ye name her?" That question had been driving him insane. Generally he didn't care about his various offspring, but something about this new baby made him horribly curious to know.

"Now isn't the time for me to answer that," Elizabeth said, her voice mocking him.

"You've gotten a bi' insolent since I las' saw you." Jack smirked. "I like it." His hand started moving toward her cheek. It'd been so long since he'd last touched her…

"You would." She looked down and then back into his eyes. Her own softened considerably. "Where are we going?"

"Good question, I'm not sure." He gently touched her cheek, overwhelmed by how good it felt to be so near to her again. No other woman had been able to illicit such feelings in a very long time.

She merely stared somewhere behind him as he tried to rememorize her face. "Does this door have a lock?" she asked curiously.

"Why?"

She stepped closer to him, obviously tempting him to try and kiss her. "I would hate for my sons to walk in on us—or for the crew to—once it gets _interesting_." Her glance flickered from his face to his bed for a moment.

He put his hand behind her head, pulling her closer to him, obviously intending to make things interesting. She put her hand in front of her mouth to block him from kissing her. "Is there a lock?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes." Jack grunted slightly as he reached down and produced a key from his effects. He wanted her hand to move. He'd been starving to get another taste of her. "This is the only key."

She smiled and took the key from him, staring into his eyes as she moved the offending hand from her lips. He started to kiss her again. Her light brown eyes suddenly seemed to grow cold again as she recognized the look in his dark ones. The captain very obviously thought he'd won her over again. His other hand started toward her nightclothes, which were disarrayed thanks to her daughter. "You're despicable," she snapped, hitting his hand before it could reach her clothes and before he could kiss her. She stepped away from him.

He frowned and balled one of his hands into a fist, obviously upset. She had looked so ready for him… Women were evil creatures. All she'd wanted was the key. "No sense in denyin' that again. You could always come up wiv a better insult, ye know."

"You're so predictable." She laughed softly and then pointed toward the door. "Jack, get out. I'm going to change into something respectable."

"This is my cabin, you know. I have every right to stay in 'ere."

She pushed him towards the door. "No you don't. This is not your cabin anymore, Jack Sparrow. I have the only key and don't plan on inviting you inside anytime soon. I'm not your personal whore, _Captain_."

"I could always 'ave you and your children locked up in the brig," he protested.

"You couldn't do such a thing."

"Why not? I already kidnapped ye. Might as well make a profit out of it if you're not even going t' make it worth my effort."

"You're too good a man." She pushed him again towards the door. "Locking me and my children in the brig would be cruel."

Jack glared at her for a moment, tempted to merely kiss her and then have his way with her. It wasn't as though she could seriously defend herself against him… But, then again, he _was_ too good a man. He couldn't rape a woman he loved. He would just have to woo her again. Always the negotiator, he decided to compromise. "Fine. I do demand the right t' come in here if I need to get navigational charts or anythin' else to keep my ship, the crew, an' your family safe." He paused for a slight moment. "An' I want to know the baby's name. Do we have an accord?"

"Yes." She looked faintly surprised to see him giving up that easily and with so few conditions. "Her name is Cora. Now get out." She pushed him the rest of the way out of his cabin.

He heard the door lock behind him and he chuckled slightly. "Cora," he repeated, a pleased smile on his face. "Her name is Cora." It meant a lot that she'd taken his suggestion of a name for their daughter to heart.


	7. Chapter Seven: The Lesson

Disclaimer: I still do not have permission to be using these characters.

_Author's Note (4/24/07)_: I can't believe there's only thirty-one days to go until we can see _At World's End_. The time has flown by. And crawled by. I wish it would go faster… Ah well. Wishes don't amount to much, in the grand scheme of things. I also wish that fanfiction was sending out e-mails about updates and such… I also wish I had more inventive titles for chapters.

**Chapter Seven: The Lesson**

"Captain Sparrow, did you really capture Nassau without a shot?" William asked Jack, who was standing up at the helm brooding how best to win Elizabeth over. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of sharing a bunk with the crew down on the gun deck, especially since he knew very well that Gibbs had a habit of snoring loud enough to make a deaf man hear. The question from the child startled Jack out of his reverie. John was standing next to his elder brother, obviously wanting to know the answer as well.

"I did," Jack confirmed, feeling somewhat uneasy around the two children. He didn't want to accidentally teach them something their mother would object to.

"How?"

Jack smirked at the memory of the experience. "Strategy, young William. Strategy. If ye don' have a plan before you go in to ransack a town, you end up like Harrison Drake."

"What happened to him?"

"He danced the hempen jig." Noting the look of confusion in William's eyes, Jack further clarified with, "He was hung by the Admiral, as a matter of fact, before 'e was an admiral."

"What hempen jig mean?" John queried.

"It's a euphemism. Takes the place of another word or phrase. Nicer way t' say a man was hung, innit? It's called a hempen jig because of the hemp rope they always use an' the natural tendency of a man's legs to start—" The captain abruptly stopped his description as he heard the door of the captain's quarters open. Seemed Elizabeth had finally decided to come out. Probably figured it would be a good time to feed her children.

"Start to what?" William asked impatiently as John started tugging on Jack's overcoat. The two were fascinated in piracy. William enjoyed reading to John about Jack's exploits, though he often had to embellish because some of the words were a bit beyond his grasp. Of course, the embellished stories were always better than the ones included in Elizabeth's book of famous pirates. He could still remember a few that Jack had told him after his father's death.

"William? John?" Elizabeth called out, looking from one side of the _Pearl_ to another. Her voice was only somewhat worried. Maybe she trusted Jack more than she wanted him to think. "Where are you?"

"We here, Mama," John replied, going to the railing near the helm and resting his head on a piece of the wood as though he were in prison.

"Oh." Elizabeth smiled slightly at her son and then started up the stairs to the bridge. "Come on, you two. You can bother Captain Sparrow later."

William groaned. "He was just about to tell us a story, Mama. Why can't we stay?"

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No," the boys answered simultaneously.

"Why not?" Elizabeth sounded puzzled.

"Captain Sparrow already gave us dinner, Mama," William explained. "It was good."

"Yeah, it good," John agreed, backing away from the railing to go to Jack's side once more. He liked to hear Jack talk. Jack was far more entertaining than Norrington was because Jack talked to them as equals.

She glanced at Jack, who nodded and said, "There's some for you waiting down in the galley. I brought some up earlier, but you din' answer the door when I knocked." He glanced toward the sun, ascertaining the time to be about midday. "Shame, that."

"When did you feed them dinner?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"About an hour ago. It was a large meal, I mus' say. Went through quite a lot of effort t' prepare it." He was rather upset in the manner she'd kicked him out of his cabin and hadn't really knocked very loudly to tell her that he'd prepared a meal. "They should be full for a few more hours."

Elizabeth looked down at her hands, obviously fighting the urge to thank him for feeding her children. "Please don't do that again, Captain Sparrow."

"Do what?"

"Fix them a meal."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't trust you."

"You were the one who left them t' their own devices, luv. I was merely making sure they were being taken care of." He frowned slightly. "Besides, you din' complain before when I fixed them meals."

"They're my responsibility. I won't be pawning them off on pirates. Besides, I don't approve of your vocabulary, much less the vocabulary of your crew." She glanced around on deck, her eyes resting on Cotton for a moment before she looked back at Jack. "I don't need to be rescued by you, Captain Sparrow, so I would appreciate it if you would just take us back."

Jack merely turned his attention back to the sea, choosing not to make a comment on that. The way he saw it, she'd been in just as much danger as she had been the first time he'd ever seen her. He saw nothing wrong with children learning a few words here and there that they would learn other places, regardless of how careful Elizabeth was. He'd had a whole vocabulary of naughty words by the time he was ten, and he'd lived in a fairly respectable place.

She sighed, motioning for John and William to come down the stairs and join her. "Come along, boys. I think you've bothered the captain enough for one day. It's time for your lessons."

They both groaned heartily but quickly did as their mother had asked. Even the lure of hearing stories from the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't enough to make them want to face their mother's wrath. Though they weren't old, they knew enough about Elizabeth to sense when she was in a bad mood. She was in a very bad mood today.

"Do we have to go over arithmetic?" William asked desperately as they joined their mother on deck. "I hate 'rithmetic."

"I know you do, William, but you need to know how to use numbers," Elizabeth said soothingly, putting her hand on the lad's shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because."

"You_ always_ give me that answer," he said dejectedly as Jack chuckled, apparently paying more attention to the exchange than he seemed to be. The captain needed to implement a few moves in order to win the affections of Elizabeth back. He was sure he could do it. He just hadn't realized it would be so much work.

Elizabeth and her sons disappeared into his cabin and the captain heard her lock the door behind them. She really was a bit paranoid. Jack knew how to pick locks far better than most the people in his crew, so it wasn't as though he even needed a key to get in. As long as she felt secure, though, he wouldn't complain.

"I haven't seen ye look tha' attentive since the day ye stole that idol in India," Gibbs remarked smugly as he came up the stairs to stand near the captain. "Things going the way ye'd like?"

Jack shook his head. "Complications have arisen," he admitted. "Nothing I can't overcome, o' course." He glanced toward his first mate for a while. Part of him was tempted to express gratitude. Another part was tempted to toss him overboard for meddling in his business.

"Where are we headed, Captain?" Gibbs asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"A secluded island three days east o' here. I figure tha' the admiral will assume that we've headed t' Tortuga. Should buy us a' least a few days of quiet, unless my assumptions are wrong."

"Ah." Gibbs looked toward the east. "Do you think she'll keep you out of your cabin the entire time?"

"Of course not!" Jack said emphatically. "I am Captain Jack Sparrow, af'er all. An' the father of her only daughter. She isn' that cruel."

Gibbs looked skeptical, but didn't say anything.

"Jus' you watch," Jack said. "I've got a plan for tonight in which I should a' least be able to talk to her, if not reclaim my bed after all. This method 'as been tested on numerous occasions an' is very much worth the effort."

"You're going to speak in French?"

Jack looked at the man curiously for a moment. "No. What gave you that idea?"

"Isn' it the language of love?"

"I suppose… But she would be expecting French. And might not understand it. Though, it is better if a woman doesn' understand what you're saying, mos' often. If she interprets it, she'll generally interpret it in a way favorable t' ye—unless she doesn' like you in the firs' place. In which case, French would be a bad option."

Gibbs seemed desperate to know what Jack was planning. The man wasn't particularly good at wooing women. "What are you going to do?"

"Now tha', Mister Gibbs, is a question I can't answer now."

"Why?"

Jack didn't want to admit what he was planning to do. It was embarrassing for a pirate. "It's a secret technique. Learned it in Singapore."

Gibbs only looked more intrigued. "Could you teach it t' me?"

"Maybe—if it works." He whipped out his compass, consulted it for a moment, and then frowned at his first mate, who was still standing there. "Don' you have something productive t' do?"

"I need the heading, Captain."

"Ah." Jack frowned. "Well, as I don't have easy access t' me maps at the moment…just head that way." He pointed to the east, though that certainly wasn't where his compass was pointed. "We'll eventually hit land, even if we have to go all the way t' Africa."

"Ay ay, Captain."

* * *

_howlongmustiwait: _Good to see you again! I'm sorry for the long and very cruel wait I forced you to endure through...things were complicated. Now I have more time to myself and fewer people throwing candy at me. So, you can expect more fairly frequently. I hope. Unless my elusive desire to write decides to disappear again...I don't think it will, but I've said that in the past and it has and I'm totally rambling and writing a run-on sentence... Anyway, glad I didn't alienate you with my lack of updates! Thank you for the review!  
_Savvylicious: _Aye, she does need to de-frost a bit. Shame that's not going to happen for a while. The next chapter after this one...she's almost brutally cold. I wish that I was writing AWE, too. Then I'd know what happens already. And I'd get to talk to Johnny Depp. That would pretty much be awesome... I'm glad you enjoy this JE fic so much, and I hope that you enjoyed this last chapter. Of course, it's kinda boring...not much going on, but it does set up the next chapter adequately... Thank you for the review! _  
Maria_: Aye, Elizabeth does know how to play Jack. It probably wouldn't be that hard for any woman to do so, to a degree... Thank you very much for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Mostly. I don't really like this one. But that's me. 


	8. Chapter Eight: The Attempt

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I shouldn't be writing this.

_A/N (7/11/11):_ I bet you thought I died. I suppose I did for a few years there. Sorry. I'm not sure how many people will actually read this, but I figured I should update it because I was stuck in the middle of a novel I'm working on and wanted to look over my past works...and realized I'd never finished this. Long story short, life kinda got crappy for me while writing this story. I suffered from some major depression. I'm okay now. I swear. And I'm going to try and finish this. Tell me what you think.

**Chapter Eight: The Attempt**

He stood outside the door for a few long moments, a frown on his face. This was his door. It had been his door for the past three years. Why did he feel as though it were laughing at him? The last time this stupid door laughed at him had been when Barbossa had been the one living behind it. That had made sense. Doors ought to laugh at men who had lost them because of a loose tongue. He'd learned his lesson.

Perhaps that was why the door was laughing at him, actually. He hadn't learned his lesson. He'd had a loose tongue again, and now Elizabeth had taken over his cabin. He could hear her moving around in there. He'd missed hearing her move around. She was saying something to Cora. She had a very nice voice when she wasn't yelling at him. What, precisely, had he done to make her so blasted upset with him? He'd come back. Twice.

That's why he was hesitating at the door. He was afraid to face the dragon again. Which was silly. There was no reason for him to be afraid of facing Elizabeth Turner. Not really. He had a week. And he would get her to melt, even if he did have to resort to speaking French to do so. French was a fine language for wooing. Gibbs was right. Of course, she probably also spoke French. Which was a bit of a problem. It was a language that sounded a lot more romantic than it sometimes was. Especially with her in such a mood.

Gibbs was standing nearby, trying to look busy as he coiled a rope that was laying on deck. He was watching Jack, clearly excited to see what Jack's fantastic plan was. Gibbs seemed to like to watch Jack. Perhaps he should invite the man into the cabin once he got his way in there so he could learn a few things...

Of course, standing here in front of the door that was laughing at him, Jack was starting to wonder if perhaps his idea was a bit on the stupid side. Well, more than a little on the stupid side. Elizabeth wouldn't fall for something most women would. She was too jaded. And it was his fault.

"Well?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

Jack smiled faintly at him and then knocked on the door. He'd given Elizabeth a good two hours to cool down since their last argument as well as to finish up her lessons with the boys. He still couldn't understand why she was so upset. Women were such difficult creatures to comprehend.

"What?" he heard her say.

"Can we talk, Elizabeth?" He tried to keep his voice neutral.

"No, Jack, we can't. I need to put Cora down for the night, and get the boys to bed."

"Elizabeth, please."

"Jack, you have nothing to say to me that I want to hear. You kidnapped me on my wedding day. Do you realize this is the second time something akin to this has happened?"

"Well, yes."

"Why didn't you come the day before? Why do you always have to come at the worst possible time?"

He didn't really like the note of hysteria creeping into her voice. This could get very ugly. He glanced at Gibbs and saw the man trying not to laugh. He should've waited longer to knock on the door. He had no choice. He had to resort to his insane plan or risk not sleeping in his own cabin. "Habit, I suppose." The door was laughing at him now.

"Habit?" She said a few words he was fairly sure she didn't want her sons to learn. Lovely. "Go away! You can come look at your bloody charts in the morning."

He sighed and looked at his first mate. He was never going to live this down. But what choice did he have? He took a deep breath to calm himself and then another after exhaling slowly. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, bu' you forced me t' do this."

"Do what?"

He started to sing. His voice was a little shaky at first, but as he stopped thinking of what his crew was thinking and only concentrated on Elizabeth, the quavering stopped.  
"Over the mountains  
And over the waves,  
Under the fountains  
And under the graves,  
Under floods that are deepest,  
Which Neptune obey  
Over rocks which are the steepest,  
Love will find out the way.

"Where there is no place  
For the glow-worm to lie,  
Where there is no space  
For receipt of a fly,  
Where the gnat dares not venture,  
Lest herself fast she lay,  
But if Love comes, he will enter,  
And will find out the way.

"You may esteem him  
A child for his might,  
Or you may deem him  
A coward from his flight.  
But if she, whom Love doth honor,  
Be concealed from the day  
Set a thousand guards upon her,  
Love will find out the way.

"Some think to lose him  
By having him confined  
Some do suppose him,  
Poor thing, to be blind;  
But if ne'er so close ye wall him,  
Do the best that you may,  
Blind Love, if so ye call him,  
Will find out his way.

"You may train the eagle  
To stoop to your fist.  
You may train in veigle  
The Phoenix of the east.  
The lioness, you may move her  
To give o'er her prey;  
But you'll ne'er stop a lover;  
He will find out his way."

The silence was deafening. Jack shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, studiously avoiding looking at Gibbs. He shouldn't have done that. He'd never done that. Not while sober. And aboard his ship. He felt like such an idiot. He had a terrible voice. That's why he never sang. But women went wild for a man that wasn't afraid to sing, right? It had to work better than French.

The door opened. Elizabeth was illuminated by the lamp inside. Her curves were very nice. He couldn't see her face very well, but things did not look good. Her arms were folded across her ample bust.

"Elizabeth," he said cautiously, coughing slightly. "I should've probably told you this a while ago...bu'..."

"Yes?"

"I love you." There. He'd said it. And in the King's English, too. His heart seemed to be trying to escape his chest. She was just standing there.


End file.
